Softball Claims 16th Regular Season Title

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. — Chattanooga battled it out in the second game Sunday afternoon at Betty Basler Field in Johnson City, Tenn., beating ETSU 4-3 to claim its 16^th regular season Southern Conference title.
 
The Mocs finished the season at 39-13 overall and 15-5 in league play and is the No. 1 seed heading into the Southern Conference Tournament this week in Spartanburg, S.C.
 
GAME 2: CHATTANOOGA 5, ETSU 3
Taylor Long came on in the fifth inning in the second game against the Bucs and struck out eight of the last nine batters faced to grab the win. The victory sealed sole possession of first for UTC and the Mocs 16^th regular season SoCon title.
 
Long came on in relief of Peja Goold who pitched the five and two thirds innings in the first game Sunday and the first four of the second. The first batter she faced reached on an error. The next laid down a bunt in front of the plate and reached before the throw could be made to put two runners on. A walk loaded the bases with no one out.
 
Long got the next two swinging and ended the inning on a strikeout-looking to get out of the jam. The next three in the sixth went down in order and after a fly out to start the Bucs half of the seventh, Long got the final two swinging to claim her 13^th victory of the season.
 
Long went three innings, allowed one hit, struck out eight and walked one.
 
At the plate, UTC had nine hits, drove in five and had four RBIs. Olivia Lipari was 2-for-4 in the game with a double and a first-inning home run to put the Mocs on the board early. Jayce Purdy was 1-for-2 with two RBI and Presley Williamson drove in one run on a pinch hit.
 
ETSU took the lead from Chattanooga putting up three runs on three hits in the first to take a 3-1 lead. Baileigh Pitts led off the second with a double and took third on a wild pitch. She scored on a sac fly from Jayce Purdy to cut the lead to one run after two innings.
 
The fourth started with an Acelynn Sellers double to center. Pitts got her second hit of the game sending pinch runner Abi Pikas to third and Izzy Carlyle came in to run for Pitts. Purdy singled to short scoring Pikas to tie the game.
 
Raven Jones sacrificed the runners over and Presley Williamson, pinch hitting, grounded out, but drove in the go ahead run to make it 4-3 in the Mocs favor through the fourth.
 
ETSU stranded a runner in the fourth and three more in the fifth.
 
The Mocs added a fifth run in the top of the seventh. Lexi Cooley hit a screamer through the left side and took second on a sac bunt by Zoe Wright. She made it to third on a passed ball and a play at the plate mishandled by the catcher sent her home to make it 5-3.
 
 
GAME 1: Chattanooga 2, ETSU 3 // 10 innings
Chattanooga fell in its longest game of the season, dropping a 10-inning 3-2 decision to the host Bucs.
 
With two on in the bottom of the first, ETSU hit a single to score a pair of runs.
 
The Mocs got a hits in each of the first two innings, but stranded both. In the third, two reached with two outs, but were unable to reach home.
 
However, in the fourth, the Mocs two-out magic came to life. Jones singled through the left side with two outs. Mia Leone, pinch hitting for Cooley, singled to left field and both advanced on a fielding error. Cooley returned to run the bases.
 
Presley Williamson, pinch hitting for Wright, singled up the middle to drive in two runs and tie the game 2-2 in the fourth.
 
With neither team able to score, the game went into extra innings. The Mocs went three up, three down in the eighth, but started the ninth with a double. Abby Orr came on to run for Jones and reached third on a sac bunt. She would be stranded on a pair of foul outs to end the inning.
 
The 10^th invoked the international tie-break rule and Kailey Snell was placed on second to start the inning. Camryn Cernuto sacrificed her over to third, but ETSU got the next two out to end the inning.
 
ETSU runner at second to start the inning reached third. She would score on a sac fly to end the game.
 
Lipari was 3-for-5 and Jones was 3-for-4. Williamson went 1-for-1 with two RBI. Long started the game, going four innings and struck out four. Goold came on in the fifth and went 5-2/3 innings with four strikeouts.
 
 
SOUTHERN CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
Chattanooga won back-to-back regular season titles and is the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Southern Conference Tournament hosted by Wofford in Spartanburg, S.C.
 
The Mocs will play the 10:00 a.m. game on Thursday, receiving a first-round bye. No. 5 seed Mercer and No. 8 Furman will face off in a single-elimination game on Wednesday. The winner of that game will take on No. 4 Wofford. The Mocs will play the winner of that game.
 
UNCG secured the No. 2 seed. Samford is No. 3, Western Carolina held on for the No. 6 seed and ETSU is the No. 7 seed.
 
Links for live stats and video streaming will be available on the Chattanooga softball schedule page and SoConSports.com.
 
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